Improvement in pneumatic actions for organs



4 Sheets--Sheet l.

T. w'INAns'.

Pneumatic Actions for Organs.

PatentedOct. 14, X873.

4 Shees-#SheetZ T. WNANS.

Pneumatic Actions for Organs. No.143,602. 4Panemdoct.14,1875,

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4 Sheets--Sheet3- T. W l NANS.

Pneumatic Actions for Organs. N0. 143,602. Patented Oct.14,873.

T. WINANS.

Pnaumatic Actions for Organs.

No. 143,602. Patented 0ct.14,1873.

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.Vf y MW@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS IVINANS, OF BALTIMORE, IVIARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN PNEUMATIC ACTIONS FOR ORGANS.

Speciiieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 143,602, dated October' 14, 1373 application filed July 22, 1873.

To It `'whom `it may concern:

le it known that I, Trroinis WINANs, of Baltimore, Baltimore' county, Maryland, have invented certain new and uset'ul Improvements in Pneumatic Action for Organs, ot' which the tollowin g is a speciiication:

This invention, which relates to that kind of action for organs known as pneumatic action, is directed particularly to the construction and arrangement, both ot' the valves for controlling the pneumatic action, and also of the pneuy matic valves which regulate the admission of air to the pipes, or to the wind-chests of the several. registers or stops. The objects I have had in view are principally to increase the fr leility ot' the action, rendering it similar, in ease of manipulation oi the keys, to a piano action; also to permit a very considerable increase ot' blast or wind pressure over that to which organs are usually restricted 5 and also to so construct the action that its several parts may be iliade by machinery, and without requiring the manual labor in making, as weil as in putting it in place and adjusting' it, which is one of the chief sources of expense in the building of organs. I govern the action ot' the pneumatic stop-valves (which control the entrance of air to the pipes, or to the .wind-chests under the several registers) by means ot' balanced slidevalves, arranged so that in their normal position they will, through suitable air-passages with which they communicate, admit wind to one side of the srop- 'alves at the same pressure as that at which the wind presses (when admitted to the register-chest) on Said pallets or valves from the other side; and they are made so that, under all conditions, the pressure of the blast passing through them will be equally distributed on all of their sides, in order that at every point of their movement they may be entirely balanced. In this way, no matter what the force of the blast may be, the slide-valves will operate always in the same ay with equal ease, and without requiring the application of increased power in order to move them. The movement of the balanced slide-valves bythe keys, or manual, or otherwise, is designed to bring them into position to sluit off the blast from their air-admission valves, and to bring the latter on one side in communication with the external atmosphere, so that by thus reducing the pressure on one side ofthe stop-valves the eoniined air on the other side may be free to act to force them back from the openings which they are designed to close, and thus open a passage for itself into the register wind-chests, or the pipes, as the case may be.

Balanced slide-valves thus made and operating are of special value, when combined with and arranged to be actuated by the keys or manual: For, as the valves, so far as windpressure is concerned, are at alll times balanced, they can be moved by the keys, or by stickers connected with the latter, with great facility, their construct-ion being such that they will slightly overbalanee the keys, so that, after having been lifted, they will return to their normal position at once when pressure is removed from the keys.

By properly proportioning the valves and keys a piano-like action can readily be obtained, no matter what the air -pressine may be.

The usual force of blast to which organs are restricted is the equivalent of a column of water three inches in height; but with air-action, constructed as I propose, the blast'may be increased so that its force will equilibrate a column of water of any desired height, and this without in any way impairing the facility ot' the action.

The manner in which my invention is or may be carried into eifect will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a transverse vertical section ot` part of the sound-board of an organ and the pneumatic action connected with the same. Fig. 2 is a like section, representing additional parts designed to control the supply of air to the wind-chests ofthe several registers or stops. Fig. 3 is a section on an enlarged scale of the manual-valve box or box which contains the balance slide-valves. Fig. 4 is an end view of the slide-valve and its plates or partitions,7 representing the valve open. Fig. 5 is a like view of the same parts with the valve closed. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of the stationary plates or partitions. Fie. 7 is a side elevation of the valve. Fig. 8 is a top view of the valve and its inelosing plates or partitions. Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical section ot' a -2 titanio@ sound-board provided with sliders, to which my system is adapted.

My invention is applicable to organs ot' usual etaistruetion provided with sliders tor ditterent stops 5 but- I pret'er to provide a separate pneumatic stop-valve tor each pipe, and this arrangement I shall lirst describe.

In Ilig. l, il is a sound-board, so called a box-like structure, to openings in the top ot' which the pipes l are titted. Theboxis divided, by partitions C, into as many separate chests l) Il as there are registers or stops. The pipes ot' each register or stop open into their own chest, which is distinct and separate from. the others. llach pipe is provided with an air-admission valve, l", which I pre't'er to construct and arrange as seen in the ligure. It is composed ota stem, u, terminating at the lower end in a round base, b, and at the upper end in ai head, e, ot' corresponding contour, which is supported between guide-wires c', tln'ee, t'our, or more in number, extending downward trom the under side ot' the top, to which the pipes are secured. The base ot the valve lits in a metallic bearing-sleeve, d, within a cylindrieal chamber or socket, c, formed in the bottom ot' the soumbboard, which socket or chainber I pieter-to extend all the ay tln'ough the bottom. ot' the sound-board, closing it at the bottom by a removable plug, held in place by a metallic Qvolte or strap, r/. This enables the valve to be taken out from below. To the head c is attached the valve proper, consistin ot' a button-like disk, 7i, Hat on its upper side, which is coated with leather, and convex on its under side, and attached, by a pin or screw, to the head c in such manner that it maybe capable oi' a slight oscillating' movement, in order to adapt itsclt more readily and accurately to the pii'ieorit'ice which it closes. The base l) is provided with an annular packing-ring, fi, of antii'rietion metal or other suitable material, which works closely against the bearing-sleeve d; and between the base otl the valve and the plug 7" is a spring, j, in the chamber e, which overcomes the weight ofthe valve, and presses it up against the top ot' the sonndboard. This spring may be dispensed with entirely by using' a higher pressure ot' air tor the manual valves than t'or the sound-board ot the organ; and in some instances this may be preferable'. ln this case all the valves opening to pipes ot' the samenote would open and close at each touch o t'the liey,while,when the springs are used, only those move which have the stop open for them.

The valve thus constructed and arranged, is capable ot working' up and down as tar as the tail-piece b ot" the lower end will allow it, between the gnidewvires and within the beaviug-sleeve. tfoniining attention to the valve on the let't ia Fig'. l, it will be seen that it' wind under pressure be let into chamber e the valve will be pressed upward, both by the air and by the spring j. l3nt it' air at the same pressure be let into chest l), this air, acting on the valve from the opposite side, and pressing both up against the valve jln'oper and down on base l',

will neutralize the air-pressure in chamber e, and the valve will conseipiently be upheld by the spring and pressure otl the air within the sound-board on the valve at the top ot' sound board, due to the size ot;l the orifice the valve closes. Now, it' the confined air be allowed to escape from chamber e, there will remain onl y the spring below and the pressure ofthe valve /i closing the orillee to counteract the downward pressure ot' air in the souml-board on that part of the valve thatplays in the chamber c; and this air-pressure, which must, by a proper proportion ot' the socket or chamber c, exceed that ot' the spring and valve proper, will at once force the valve down, and thus open a passage from chest D into the pipe. It' the chambei's ot' the valve ot' corresponding pipes in the dit't'erent registers be com'lected, so that air may be forced into or exhausted t'rom all simultaneously, then as many ot' such valves as have their register-chests supplied with air under pressure can be operated simultaniuiusly and in unison. The means by which the stop or air-admission valves are. thus actuated constitutes an important feature ot' my invention,

and are fully represented in Figs. l, 23, l, 5, l, 7, and o. The soimd-board in lfig. l contains but two registers; but it, oi.' course, may have as many more as desired. The chambers e ol' the valves ot' the corresponding pipes et' the several registers are connected by a duct or passage, 7.', leading into the manual-valve box (i, which contains the balance slide-valves hereinbetore reterred to. There is one such valve for each hey. Each valve composed ot' a thin plate, ll', preferably made ot' babbitt metal, or some antiiifiction non-corrosive metallic alloy or compound, provided on each side with three horizontal ribs, one, l, at therv top, one, m, at the bottom, and one., n, intermediate between the two. This valve tits closely and snugly between two plates or partitions, l, which are formed with similar horizontal ribs l in n', so arranged that at least two otl the horizontal ribs on the sides of the valve will always tind a1 bearing between them. \\'hen the valve and valve-plates are thus titted toA gether, it will be seen that two valve-spaces. an upper one, o, and lower one, p, are produced. The intermediate ribs n.' ot' the plates or partitions are about midwaybetween the top and bottom ribs l m. On the contrary. the rib n otl the valve is below the center ot the valve-plate, so that when the valve is in its lowest position, as seen in Fig. 5, the rib i1 will be below and out ot' contact with the ribs il, thus leaving iree communication between the upper and lower valve-spaees. \\'hen on the contrary the valve is elevated so as to lit't the upper rib l above the ribs and out t'rom between the partitions, thus throwing` the upper chamber open to communication with the atmosphere, the rib n will have been raised enough to lit between the ribs n', and thus close the communication between the two spaces. These valves and partitions are placed vertically on one side oil the manmil-valve box, the valve-plates or partitions being secured thereto at proper distances apart to receive the valves; and in the side of the manualvalve box are formed two series or' apertures, the one, r, opening into the lower valve-space p, the other, s, into the ripper valve-space o. Separate and distinct apertures in each series communicate with the separate valve-spaces of the several valves, and there is no communication between the upper and lower apertures s and r belonging to each valve, except through the spaces o and p ot' that valve. One pipe or duct, l', leads to each aperture or range of apertures s belonging to each upper valvespace o, and the lower series of apertures r communicate with the interior of the manualvalve box G, which is iilled always with air taken from the source ot air-supply by the wind trunk or pipe J. Each valve is connected with its key l by a sticker, t. By depressing the key the sticker will be caused to raise the valve7 and when the iinger is removed from the key the valve will tall of its own weight.

Under the arrangement described, it will be seen that when the slide-valves are in their normal position the compressed air from the manual-valve box will enter the lower valvespaces p through apertures r; thence pass up between ribs a al into spaces 0, as indicated in Fig. 5, and thence through apertures s and pipes 7s into the valve-chambers c to press upward the pneumatic pallets or valves F. If, however, any one of the slide-valves be lifted by depressing its key, then. the communication between the ripper and lower valve-spaces o p will be cut oit', the blast ot' air from the manual-valve box will be confined within the lower space, and the upper space will be open to the atmosphere, thus relieving the air-pressure on the under side of its pneumatic pallet or valve, or series of such valves, and allowing the compressed air, in as many of the register-chests as are open, to depress the valves thus relieved, and to iind its way into the pipes previously closed by the same. The air thus expelled trom duct 7a exhausts from upper space 0 into the atmosphere. rlhe rib a is so placed with relation to ribs 'nl that it will close the lower spaee at, or, preferably, a little before, the time the upper space is opened to the atmosphere.

It will be noticed that, with a valve thus constructed and arranged, the air-pressure is at all times the same on all sides et the valve, so as to maintain it, so tar that pressure is con` cerned, in equilibrium, or balanced. Then the valve is closed, as indicated in Fig. 5, the pressure ofthe air within the spaces 0 p is the same on both sides oll the valve, and at its top and bottom. Then the valve is open the condivtions are unchanged, the center rib a taking will al. Yays be equable and the same, a-nd no increase of power will be needed to depress the key. By properly proportioning, therefore, the weight et' the valve to the leverage ofthe key the organ will be rendered sensitive to the slightest toueh, and the action will be as light as that of a piano.

I prefer to arrange the .ribbed slide-valves and their stationary ribbed plates on a breastplate, G', attaehed to the valve-box G, which plate is provided with a longitudinal partition, a2, corresponding to the central ribs al of the stationary plates, and is formed below and above said longitudinal partition with apertures r s, which, as above stated, lead, respectively, from the lower valve-space p ot' each valve to the wind-chest ot' the valvebox, and from the upper valve-spaee o to the pneumatic-valve air-duct or passage 7i'.

XVhile I prefer to construct the manual valves tlat, as above described, I do not confine myselt' to that shape, as they may be constructed round, or square, or polygonal, by pl aeing them diagonally or zigzag, and still be et'- tective, and combine the same principle of ac tion.

Such an arrangement is shown in Figs. l() and l1, Fig. l() being a vertical transverse section of a manual-valve box provided with cylindrical internally ribbed valve chambers fl', each having a piston-rod, H', provided with' three pistons or flanges corresponding to the three ribs ot' the tlat valves hereinberore described. Fig. 1l is a top view, partly in horizontal section, of a portion ot' the valve-box, representing a portion et' valves. The ribs l' m' 1L' in the valve-chambers, and the ribs, iianges, or pistons l m 1L ot" the valves or piston-rods, correspond to the like lettered parts in the preceding figures, and have the same relative arrangement and principle otl operal tion.

No matter what the peculiar configuration of the parts there is the common feature in all the valve arrangements herein shown of valves and valve-chambers, communicating through the spaces formed wit-hin them with the source ot'wind-supply, and the duets leading to they pneumatic valves, and operating to put said ducts in communication with the source et' airsupply or with the external atmosphere, as desired, the valves being balanced at all points of their movement.

In order to admit air to the several register wind-chests, substantially the same arrangement of valves may be employed, as indicated in Fig. 2. In this figure, L is the main windchest, supplied with wind from the wind-trunk L', and provided with pneumatic stop-valves M, one for each register wind-chest.

The construction and arrangement of these. valves is entirely the same as above described with reference to the pneumatic pipe-valves, excepting that each valve has a distinct and separate air-passage or duct, l", which leads to a balanced slide or other valve, the movement of which is controlled. by a stop on the organ.

ln other words, the same kind of action may be employed to control the different registers, as well as the pipes themselves, the difference being' that in the former case the balanced valves are operated by the stops, and in the latter case by the keys.

In case sliders are employed, as indicated in Fie. tl, then, of course, it will not be necessary to provide each pipe with an independent valve. One valve, X, only will be needed for each range of corresponding pipes in the several registers, and the throwing of the vaiions registers into or out of action will be governed by the sliders in the usual way. rIhe valves X are, of course, connected with and controlled by balanced slide-valves in the manual-valve box in the manner above described.

It will thus be seen that my invention applicable either to the slider system or to the system first above described, of an independent pneumatic 'alve for each pipe.

The ribs on the balanced slidealvcs are made preferably tapering in horizontal section, as indicated in Fig. 8, and a corresponding taper is formed on the contiguous sides of the valve partitions or plates, the object being to obtain a close and snug fit between the valves and the plates. For the same reason the ribs ofthe valve and of the plates are made to taper at their top and bottom, as indicated in Figs. G and T.

\\'hcn the valves and val ve-plates are screwed or fastened in place on the box they are held togethe.v on the outside edge by a covering-plate, applied to the upright ends of the valveplates, and extending the length of the whole series. The slide valves and plates can be readily castand thenfniished by machinery, and the pneumatic valves also can be readily made by machinery. rI`he whole action action indeed is simplified, and can be produced at small cxpense in comparison with that involved in the manufacture of organ actions, as heretofore practiced.

Having now described my invention, and the manner in which the same is, or may be, carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not contine myself to the, precise mechanical details of construction herein set forth, for the same maybe varied considerably without departure from the principles of my invention; but

IYhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A pneumatic action for organs, comprisin g the combination, with the pneumatic valves directly regulating the admission of air to the register-chests or the pipes, of valves and i11- closin valve-clmmbcrs, communicating on the one side with the source of compressed-air supply, and 011 the other side with ducts leading to said pneumatic valves, said parts being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein shown and described, so that whether the valves be opened to throw the said ducts, in comnumication with the source ot' compressed-air supply, or closed to shut ott such comnuulication and allow the air in the ducts to exhaust therefrom, the compressed air contained in the valve-chambers will at all times exert equal pressure on all parts of the, valves so as to balance them.

2. The slide-valves, provided each with top, bottom, and intermediate ribs, as described, in combination with their valve-chambers, provided each with a corresponding number of ribs, the same being formed and arranged with relation to 011e another, substantialluv as shown and described, for the purposes set forth.

3. In combination with the said ribbed slidevalves and correspoiidingly-ribbed val ve-cl l a 1 1 1 bers, arranged relatively to each other, as described, the manual-valve box containing a wind-chest opening into 011e ofthe valve-spaces formed in each valve-chamber, and air ducts or passages leading out of the other valvespace in said chamber to the pneumatic valves, said parts being arranged for ioint operation, in the manner herein set forth.

4. The ribbed slide-valves and their stationary ribbed partitions or plates, arranged on and carried by abreast-plate on the valvebox, provided with a longitudinal partition corresponding to the central ribs of the stationary plates, and formed below and above said longitudinal partition with apertures leading respectively from the lower valve-space ot' each valve to the wind-chest of the valve-box and from the upper valve-space to the pneumatic air duct or passage, substantially as and for the purposes shown and set forth.

5. The conlbination, with the. balanced slidevalves, the chambers for said valves, and the manual-valve box arranged together, substantially as described, ot' the pneunn'ltie valves, one tor each organ-pipe, arranged in the register wind-chests to play up and down in valve-cliambers, eonnnunicating with their respective slide-valves by ducts or passages which, by means of said slide-valves, may be thrown into communication either with the source of compressed-air supply or with the external atmosphere, substantially as and for the purposes shown and set forth.

ti. The pneumatic valve herein described, consisting of a stem provided with a head playing between guides and carrying an oscillating valve proper, and a base fitting and arranged to move 11p and down in a bearing-sleeve within a socket or air-chamber, and upheld by a spring, or otherwise, as specified, the said valve being` arranged within the register wind-chest or the main wind-chest, as the case may be, and operated by the difference between the air-pressures in the said chamber and the wind-chest in which said valve is located, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS \VINAS.

\\'itnesses:

.Toux BULKLnv, (uns. XY. TILLR v. 

